Madera County, California
Madera County is a county of the U.S. state of California, located in the Central Valley north of Fresno County. It is part of the Madera Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census the population was 123,109. The county seat is Madera. The southernmost part of Yosemite National Park is located in the county's northeast. History Madera County was formed in 1893 from parts of Fresno County. Madera in Spanish means timber or lumber. The county derives its name from the town of Madera, named when the California Lumber Company built a log flume to carry lumber to the railroad there in 1876. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,577 km² (2,153 sq mi). 5,532 km² (2,136 sq mi) of it is land and 45 km² (17 sq mi) of it is water. The total area is 0.81% water. Cities and towns *Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos *Chowchilla *Madera *Madera Acres *O'Neals *North Fork *Coarsegold *Oakhurst *Bass Lake *Raymond *Parksdale *Parkwood *Ripperdan *Yosemite Lakes Adjacent Counties * Fresno County - south, west * Merced County - northwest * Mariposa County - north * Tuolumne County - northeast * Mono County - northeast Transportation Infrastructure Major Highways * California State Route 41 * California State Route 49 * California State Route 99 * California State Route 145 * California State Route 152 Public Transportation *Madera County Connection provides service between the cities of Madera and Chowchilla. Routes also run to eastern Madera County. A connection to Fresno can be made at Children's Hospital Central California near the county line. *The cities of Madera and Chowchilla also have their own local transit services. *Greyhound buses and Amtrak trains stop in Madera. Airports *Madera Municipal Airport and Chowchilla Airport are general aviation airports. Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there are 123,109 people in the county, organized into 36,155 households, and 28,598 families. The population density is 22/km² (58/sq mi). There are 40,387 housing units at an average density of 7/km² (19/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county is 62.23% White, 4.12% Black or African American, 2.61% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 24.35% from other races, and 5.25% from two or more races. 44.28% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 63.6% spoke English and 33.7% Spanish as their first language. There are 36,155 households out of which 40.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% are married couples living together, 12.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% are non-families. 16.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.18 and the average family size is 3.52. In the county the population is spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.0 males. The median income for a household in the county is $36,286, and the median income for a family is $39,226. Males have a median income of $33,658 versus $24,415 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,682. 21.4% of the population and 15.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 28.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Politics Madera is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. The vast majority of Madera is part of California's 19th congressional district, which is held by Republican George Radanovich; a tiny part of Madera is in the 18th district, which is held by Democrat Dennis Cardoza. In the State Assembly, most of Madera is in the 25th district with a small part in the 19th district. Both districts are held by Republicans, Tom Berryhill and Michael Villines respectively. In the State Senate, Madera is part of the 12th and 14th districts, which are held by Republicans Jeff Denham and Dave Cogdill respectively. See also * Sierra National Forest * Nelder Grove * Fresno Dome * List of school districts in Madera County * [[Wikipedia:USS Madera County (LST-905)|USS Madera County (LST-905)]] External links *Official Madera County website *Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce *Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau *''Madera Tribune, 100-year-old newspaper for the county *Madera Online News & Photo'', Madera County's Online Newspaper *Superior Court of Madera County *Madera County Library Category:Counties of California Category:Madera County, California